Received great news last night that our Lil Abner...

has passed his Canine Good Citizenship test! I am so pleased and a big SHOUT OUT to his guardian for working so hard for this achievement!

Abner is a smart little guy and knows it. His guardian has stayed on task and I wish they would give her a Blue Ribbon!!  :+)

Here is my little man looking pretty smug after his first professional hair cut. Testing (and new pics) will be done on him next month. I sure hope he will become a stud for ADNE.

Lil Abner at 6 months. Miniature size.

Charlotte will arrive soon and have her pups.

Birthing, puppies, food prep and nursing will begin in earnest soon. Before it does, I do have a few more days of break and am looking forward to spending a week or so entertaining my son's family who is visiting from Pennsylvania. :+)

Nellie x Emmett's pups have all been picked up and gone home. I have an empty nest for a little while.

My hopeful breeding girl Abigail went home last week and begins our 'Pick Up' parade!

Abigail left last Friday and is settling in well at the Davis home.

Diva left on Friday with Paul and David.  I am told she slept all night until 8 am! What??

The Welch family welcomed big 'Ben' with open arms Friday afternoon!

Smiles all over the place for their new addition,Watson, who was picked up early this afternoon.

The last to go today is Miss Molly. She and her owner will have some great times together!

This was a wonderful group of pups and I hope all of you are happy. I know most of you will be losing some sleep but it won't last forever. The memories and love that you will share will more than make up for it.  :+)  Joyce

A few pics. :+)

I thought you all would enjoy a few pics before the rain comes down. It has been a few days and I know everyone is ramping up for their new companion.

They are all so sweet and follow me everywhere making it difficult for me to step! Sometimes I have to run to give my feet some room! :+)

Everyone trying to climb onto my lap!

Ben's face is ridiculously cute!

Diva doing what she does best...begging. Oh, those eyes!

Happy, happy, wagging tail Watson! He knows no other way to be. :+)

Love, love the pattern on Molly. A slight under bite took her out of my breeding program but she will be the 'Welcome Wagon' at her owner's store. Lucky customers!   :+)

The group chilling. They are never still long! As you can see Molly is chewing on Watson.

The heat is turned on high today.....

Unfortunately, I cannot put the pups in the pool for cooling due to their surgeries BUT I can use a fine hose spray to coat the top of them for cooling and fun!

They seem to really enjoy being sprayed. I have been doing this nearly every two hours today to help them be more comfortable in this heatwave.  :+)

You can see they don't mind the spray at all!

VACCINES! Important info for pet owners to know about and take charge of!

Planet Paws

SO JUST HOW LONG DO YOUR PET’S SHOTS LAST?

Definitely longer than a year!

According to the top pet immunologist (aka vaccine expert) in the world, Dr. Ronald Schultz, Ph.D. – “ Annual revaccination provides no benefit and may increase the risk for adverse reactions.”

What the heck are adverse reactions (or side effects)?

Well according to the other rock star pet immunologist Dr. Jean Dodds:

“Side effects from dog vaccinations can occur anywhere from instantly up to several weeks or months later. Vaccines can even cause susceptibility to chronic diseases that appear much later in a dog’s life (Dodd, 2001).

Severe and fatal adverse reactions include:

•Susceptibility to infections.

•Neurological disorders and encephalitis.

•Aberrant behavior, including unprovoked aggression.

•Vaccines are linked to seizures. Distemper, parvovirus, rabies and, presumably, other vaccines have been linked with poly neuropathy, a nerve disease that involves inflammation of several nerves. (Dodds,2001)”

SO HOW LONG EXACTLY DOES YOUR PET’S VACCINE LAST?

According to the recommendations of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), (basically the dudes who set the standards for the vets): “Among healthy dogs, all commercially available [core] vaccines are expected to induce a sustained protective immune response lasting at least 5 yr. thereafter”

Here’s the breakdown of the core vaccines from Dr. Ronald Schultz:

Minimum Duration of Immunity for Canine Vaccines:

Distemper- 7 years by challenge
Parvovirus – 7 years by challenge
Adenovirus – 7 years by challenge
Canine rabies – 3 years by challenge

The moral of the story here, if you have no idea when your pet is due or has been vaccinated, then just run a titer test and this will confirm if you are due, rather than over-vaccinate your poor pet, setting the stage for future problems!

What’s a titer test?

A titer test (pronounced tight-errr) is a laboratory or in-house veterinary test measuring the existence and level of antibodies (necessary to fight off disease) in your pet’s blood. Basically, it’s a test that will tell you whether or not you actually need to vaccinate your pet.

It’s also super useful when making a decision about vaccinating a pet with an unknown vaccination history, or for determining if pets have received immunity from vaccination.

Vaccinating your pet is super important so don’t lose the overall message here: VACCINATE, JUST DON’T OVER-VACCINATE!

According to Dr. Dodds:

“Vaccines have achieved many important benefits for companion animals, and has saved more animals' lives than any other medical advance.”

Want more on titer testing? Check it out: http://ow.ly/RPeLn

For more vaccine information, head on over to Dogs Naturally Magazine’s website and type vaccines in the search bar.

Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger

Nellie x Emmett 9 week pics!

Abigail left yesterday so is not in these individual pics with the same setting but I did take a pic of her yesterday in the pup room to include.

The pups are doing very well today but are confined to the shady outdoor pen so running and climbing is limited for most of the week. It allows them to play but I need to be mindful of their incisions.

I hope all of you are getting ready to bring your furry bundle home!

Watson at 9 wks and 7 lbs.

Ms. Diva, 9 wks and 7.6 lbs.

'Big Ben' is 9 wks and 8.9 lbs.

Miss Molly is a 'whooping' 6 lbs. at 9 wks.

and my breeding girl choice...Abigail Adams is 8 lbs. at 9 weeks.

THIRD SEGMENT: Abigail goes home!

As you can see, it has been a very full day here at ADNE.

Abigail was brought in with the pups but only for her microchip. She then came back home with me to rearrange and clean the pup room for her roomies.  :+)

Soon, her guardians arrived to sign contracts and bring her home. I can't wait to hear of the adventures Abigail and her 'big doodle bro' Tucker have. Thanks Jan and Mike!

SECONDLY, update on Nellie's surgical group!

Molly was all about the hugs and kisses.

Along with Charlotte's U/S today, Nellie's pups: Molly, Ben, Diva and Watson had their spays and neuters. After an exam, they were whisked to the surgical area to wait their turn. Diva was the last to be done and when I picked them up at 3 pm, she still had her leg wrapped.

This is how they came out to me - all wrapped up in loving arms. :+)

Lounging in a cute girl's arms would appeal to most boys, right My Dear Watson?

'A piece of cake'! Ben is ready to rock and roll.

'I went last and let me tell you the story.....' Diva.

Once home, they had a very small meal, then rested.  Later tonight, I will give them a full meal. They will all be ready to challenge the world again tomorrow but they will be restricted to the x-pen outdoors to help keep them somewhat contained and prevent a lot of running.

This is what they look like this afternoon once in their smaller, contained areas.

Watson and Ben are awake and lively.

Diva, took the soft, cushie crate and Molly accepted the tile.

Miss Abigail laid close by for support.

First.... Charlotte has some good news to share!

We are very happy to share the good news that Charlotte is indeed pregnant with Rocky's puppies!

Charlotte's guardian said that lately her appetite has been a bit 'off' and she is resting more than typical. Her energy level has tapered quite a bit and she is more mellow and content to just 'hang around'.

All this was music to my ears as it all pointed to a successful mating!

Here is Tasha and Dr. Estle getting Charlotte comfortable on the table as they prepare for her Ultra Sound.

I was just going to do a palpation where the vet feels for little 'chestnuts' in the abdomen to determine pregnancy but I decided to do the ultra sound instead so my guardian could have some pictures.

This is the Ultra Sound machine showing proof positive that Charlotte is pregnant.

See that black blob at the top - that is a puppy sac! Looking at this in person, you can actually see the heart 'twinkling' like a little star. It is quite the experience. Dr. Estle claims there are at least four sacs but could be more as U/S is not used for counting the number of possible pups but to see if the sacs are viable and healthy looking.





I am hopeful that this litter will produce wonderfully 'happy go lucky' babies for families looking for an energetic and friendly companion. This litter is not spoken for as yet, so applications are welcomed. I do expect this litter to be multi-colored with patterns similar to a Bernese Mountain Dog called a Tri Color, or a Parti pattern akin to a Cocker Spaniel and possible Phantom markings that you see in Gordon Setters.

The litter is due around October 3rd or so and will be ready for homes in the first week of December. What a great way to socialize a pup around Christmas and bring in the New Year. :+)

About Fleas and Ticks....

I just received a nice link on comparisons and whether or not the products are approved for breeding dogs - whether male or female. For those of you that have problems with either, you would do well to read the link. Table 2 is directly related to breeding dogs and pregnant/lactating females.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_flea_product_comparison.html (copy and paste to web browser)

You all know that I do not use any type of chemicals on my doodles here but I do understand that there are many areas that do have fleas and abundant ticks. It is important that you use something for control and perhaps you can find a product on this list that will work for you.

Given the temperature today.....

The pups got another dunking in our pool. They so enjoy running around shaking off the water once out!  :+)

Here they are in the pup room (still damp) with a new toy I just bought today. They keep stepping on it so that the animals make noise. Very cute.

We had our eye exams this morning! Nellie x Emmett - 8.5 weeks.

Thank goodness it was an early appointment because it is hot as blazes today!

Once again, the pups did extremely well on their 45 minute car ride with no throw ups or accidents. I feel so fortunate when a litter is so accommodating.

Diva expressed her concern about not having 'shot gun' positioning but was otherwise compliant. They were wonderful at the vets and Dr. Cassotis and his team just adored them. Since Watson completed his exam first, he was scooped up by one of the vet techs to go 'visit' around the facility. When I went to pay the bill, he was on the lap of the front desk clerk perfectly content. :+)

Once back in the car, I gave them all a drink of water and then doused them with it for the ride home. Yes, I do have A/C but having the windows down on dampened fur was quite comfortable for them as the wind whipped around keeping them cool.

By the way, a gentle reminder to all that unless your checks are received by Monday, Sept. 7th, you must bring cash for pup pick ups!

Here are some pics of today's trip.

Here they are in the back of my car getting ready for the drive.

Dr. Cassotis is very thorough and adores doodles.  :+)

Home again feeling the 'ahhhh'.... of a cool floor with the fan blowing.